Hello hello, my dear readers. I have been absconding for a long time, four weeks at last count.
Only down, not out. I promise. Sometimes life gets in the way of larger pursuits like writing and this newsletter.
But that’s all a thing of the past. And here I am, hoping to bounce back to normal, knocking at your mailboxes every Friday as I used to in the not-so-distant past.
My this week’s column is an Independence Day special, even though ten days after the day itself.
Come 15th August, the word “freedom” gets bandied about a lot. Everywhere.
There are freedom sales online, freedom to choose our telecom packs, freedom to have a holiday, freedom to sleep, freedom to live, freedom to breathe.
The list is endless.
But, what does freedom really mean? At work particularly?
I know the cynics will have varied answers to this, ranging from ‘work is shackling’ to ‘monthly salary is an albatross’, so “freedom at work” is an ironic phrase.
But. I am no cynic where corporate careers are concerned. I truly believe in the point of corporate careers.
So here goes, my list of freedom items, a list of almost-questions for you, as you think about your freedoms at work.
Freedom to speak: Are you given the space to make a point, ask a question, be heard, your participation in a meeting valued? It’s a fundamental freedom after all.
Freedom to own: Are you given ownership of things, small or big, small and big? Are you given the agency to take decisions the same way you are held responsible for the metrics driven by those decisions?
Freedom to try: Are you encouraged to share new ideas, expand your work to contribute on areas not directly under your job description? Instead of ever being told “That’s not your job so don’t talk about that”.
Freedom to manage: Are you allowed to manage your work and your time, your people and their priorities, the way you best believe will help drive your goals?
Freedom to access: How easy is it for you to access your skip level managers or leaders, to present your ideas or discuss your work, to have an open discussion about what or who stops you from delivering to your full potential?
What are the freedoms you have at your workplace? How have these freedoms helped you deliver or even excel?
What are the freedoms you have let your team members have at your workplace without standing in between as a bottleneck? Have you seen a marked difference in team culture because of that?
P. S. Views strictly personal.